


heavy is the head (that wears the crown)

by jessamoo



Category: Reign (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-29
Updated: 2014-10-29
Packaged: 2018-02-23 04:07:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2533622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessamoo/pseuds/jessamoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>for the prompt "Bash's deputy duties put Kenna and their children in danger and she doesn't think him being deputy is a good idea any more."</p>
            </blockquote>





	heavy is the head (that wears the crown)

There is a basic truth that settles within parents when their child is born. It settles without fear and thought. It is that there is now a part of you breathing and moving in the world, and you would die for them in a single instant.

Kenna faced that instant with no fear for herself. She watched the sword just at the three of them menacingly and knew she would sooner impale herself on it than have it come even an inch closer to her children.

Not half an hour before they had been happy.

In their family chateaux, waiting for Bash to come home, she had watched her children play.

 

Seb, named for his father, was at eleven years old growing more and more like Bash every day. He had his father’s easy humour, his ideals, as well as his looks. Kenna was glad to note that as much as Seb longed to grow up and be a noble knight – though she suspected he mostly wanted to have a few sword fights – he would still play happily with his younger sister, little Ailiee, though she was only six years old.

Ailiee was her little darling. Whereas Seb was at the age that he would rebuff her affections, wanting to appear far more mature than he actually was, Ailiee would cling to Kenna and follow her around with intensity. She was a happy, good natured child, playful and imaginative and deeply kind.

 

But none of them were happy now. As she had watched Seb and Ailiee, the door had burst open with a loud crash.

Kenna had whirled round, barely taking in the imposing figure in the doorway before grabbing whatever was in front of her and moving to stand in front of her children protectively.

Seb had enough sense to grab Ailiee and scramble back against the wall as Kenna held out the thing she had grabbed – a heavy brass candle holder – in front of her angrily.

“Who are you?” she yelled. “What do you want?”

The man that had barged in strolled in now, casually, as if he hadn’t just kicked the door in, and began to take in his surroundings with an approving nod.

Then he glances at Kenna, her children cowering behind her, as if he hadn’t noticed her before.

Seeing his blank expression filled her with far more dread than if he had scowled or shouted. It meant that he didn’t care one bit about them, even that they were scared. That meant they were utterly disposable to him.

“Well…I had thought to drop by on my old friend the deputy…only by happy coincidence, his lovely little family is here instead.”

He tuts a few times, then grabbed the candle holder in her hands. He began tugging roughly at it but Kenna clutched her only defence wildly. 

Then the man grunted and slapped her across the face.

With a shocked cry Kenna stumbled away from him. She feels the stinging on her cheek, the small pool of warm blood there.

Instead of pressing her fingers there though, her arms move to hover protectively in front of the children as she takes slow steps back toward them, pained tears in her eyes that she willed not to fall.

 

There is a strangled little yell behind them and Seb rushed forward wildly waving a wooden play sword like a battle axe.

“No!” Kenna yelped, grabbing him roughly and tugging him back to her. She felt Ailiee’s pudgy childish arms wrapping around her legs. "I'm alright darling." She says to her son, wrapping her arm round his front to hold him against her. "You just stay here with me."

Seb clutched his wooden sword, breathing heavily and scowling up at the man, but he does what she says.

The man just laughed, looking down at Seb in amusement.

Kenna held both her children to her tightly.

“What do you want?” she hisses at him again.

She backs against the wall then as Ailiee buries her sniffling face into her skirts. 

“Your husband is looking into certain finances of mine. And when he does so, well let’s just say what he finds won’t be at all good for me.”

“And you thought you would come here to convince him to stop looking?” Kenna breathes.

The man smiles again and a shiver creeps up her skin at the sight of it.

“They were right when they said you were beautiful. No idea you were clever too. Yes, that’s why I’m here. But now I see fate is on my side. See your husband is going to be far more likely to cooperate with it’s your lives on the line, and not his.”

Then he drew his sword with a loud resounding sound that echoed through the room. 

 

Kenna sat against the wall, hugging her children as close to her as she could. They were both crying softly now and she stroked their hair to reassure them even though her hands shook.

The man that held them hostage in their own home paced and waited for Bash as she watched him with wary eyes.

Every so often she would turn her head and softly whisper to the children. “It’s all going to be fine my darlings. Your mamma isn’t going to let anything happen to you.”

But a dread filled her as she watched the man pace. She knew without a doubt that she would do anything to protect her children, but she still wished Bash would come home soon.

 

And when he does, he sees the unfamiliar horse outside the house and knows, instinctively, that something is wrong.

“Kenna?” he calls out, beginning to run in.

He hears her crying his name then, in a scared strangled voice, and he feels an empty pit of fear in his stomach. 

He rushes in wildly, taking in the scene in front of him.

Seeing the man in black, his family cowering against the wall, Bash drew his sword quickly, fearful anger rushing through him.

The man, he saw as he backed around him, inching closer to his family with his sword pointed toward their aggressor, was the man who he was investigating. His name was lord de Valance and he was no stranger to criminal acts. Not only was he evading paying his taxes, there were several rather disturbing reports about violent acts he had committed over the years and had intimidated his way out of being prosecuted for.

Bash had promised himself that he would not be intimidated. He would finally put this man in prison for his crimes. He had not realised how far Valance would go to avoid such a fate.

He was struck with the sudden knowledge that he had put his family in danger by rushing into trying to catch this man. 

Bash holds his sword out and stands right in front of Kenna and the children. He looks back at them to check them over and sees the bloodied scratch across Kenna’s cheek. He feels the rage build up inside him as he turns back to Valance, anger burning in his eyes.

“What did you do to them?” he shouts.

“That’s the wrong question.” Valance smiles, his sword facing Bash. Both of them were ready to pounce at any moment. “The question you want to be asking is what I will do to them if you don’t keep out of my business.”

Bash hears his daughter whimpering behind him and the idea that his tiny, precious girl was in any kind of danger made him feel sick. He shook his head vehemently at Valance.

“I won’t let you touch them.” He spits.

Valance sees the challenge in his eyes and stiffens slightly, readying himself for a fight. “You really are putting them in danger right now.”

“You put yourself in danger when you entered this house and assaulted my wife, when you threatened the safety of my children. You severely underestimated who you were threatening. I’ll kill you before you get anywhere near them.” Bash says in a low growl.

“What if I kill you? Then who would protect them?” Valance shrugs.

“Even if you did, you forget. I am brother to the king of France. In all your years of bullying, you became arrogant. You think there is no one you can’t get to. But know this. If you hurt me or my family you will be bringing the full force of the entire French army down upon your head.”

The only thing that gave away Valance’s nervous was the imperceptible glance to the doorway. But then Bash sees him grip his sword a little tighter and knows that neither of them are going to give up.

Bash steadily turns to meet Kenna’s eyes for a brief moment.

“Kenna.” He breathes, staring right in her eyes, silent communication flowing between them. “Cover their eyes.”

And as she understands, she complies, setting her lips, and gives him a single nod.

That’s all the permission he needs.

 

And she closes her eyes as she hears swords clashing together.

 

They all waited outside as Valance’s body was removed from the house. Bash cradled Ailiee in his arms, and they each held one of Seb’s trembling hands. There was a sad silence over the family as they watched the white sheet covered corpse be carried away. They had all been confronted with that which they tried to ignore. The danger that surrounded the French court, the king’s deputy, had reached them even here in their home.

 

That night both children crawled into their parents bed and fell asleep there, curled up together between them.

As they watched them sleep, Bash reached out a hand and carefully stroked a thumb over the place where Kenna had been hit, swollen cut now bruising her skin painfully. 

She closes her eyes when he touches her, tears falling onto her cheeks. Guilt fills Bash then, he knows he had a hand bringing this danger onto them, however unintentional.

“I’m so sorry.” He says quietly and she shakes her head.

“Don’t be sorry.” She whispers.

Despite the tears shining in her eyes and the shaking of her voice, her eyes are steady with conviction when she looks at him.

“Just quit. Let someone else be the king’s deputy.” Her voice is adamant as she speaks. “I mean it Bash. I know that it’s given us a lot. But no position is worth the lives of our children. If…” she shakes her head for a moment, choking back her thoughts until she could carry on. “If this ever happened again. If anything happened to them.” She stares down at her children for a long moment before looking back up. “I would never ever forgive you.”

Bash nods. He wouldn’t ever forgive himself either, and he knew she was right.

“I will resign in the morning.” He said sincerely before reaching over and kissing her temple.

She nods gratefully and leans into him then.

Bash wraps his arm round her, and they both cuddle up to hold their children through the night.

 

Before Bash falls asleep he looks at his family, thinking about how close he had come to losing them. It’s the worst fate imaginable. And he suddenly doesn’t care about being the king’s deputy, not if it meant the loss of them.

Kenna was right like always. No position was worth it. When they were young, before the kids, they had both longed to rise up in the world.

Now they understood that the world slept between them, the world centred on two children that looked like them. 

That was what mattered. Not titles or wealth or nobility or anything.

This family mattered most.


End file.
